You need to stay on top of your home's entire plumbing system and give it the attention you should. You don’t have to be a professional plumber to maintain your system; you can use products you already have around the house to take care of certain issues. However, for plumbing problems out of your control, you want to make sure to have us come out instead of trying to take on more than you are capable of and making matters worse.

Here are some home products you can use for plumbing maintenance and smaller issues.

Clearing Minor Drain Clogs

Minor clogs in sink drains can often be freed up with a couple products most people already have in their cupboards: white vinegar and baking soda. First, scoop as much water as you can out of the sink so you expose the drain. Then, put about a half a cup of the baking soda down the drain followed by about a cup of white vinegar.

The vinegar and baking soda will react with each other inside the drain, and you will see a thick froth from the reaction come out of the drain. This chemical reaction loosens up the clog so it will move through the pipes. If the clog isn't all the way gone after one dose, repeat the process. Then, turn the water on and you should see the water move freely down the drain again.

Clearing Grease Clogs

Grease clogs can be difficult to remove, and baking soda and vinegar may not be enough. If you have a feeling you are dealing with a clog due to grease in the drain, then you want to try a different method that uses hot water and liquid dish soap to free the clog.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, then turn the burner off and put a couple squirts of liquid dish soap in the pot of water. Then, slowly and carefully pour the hot solution down the drain. The hot water and dish soap should turn the grease to liquid and flush it through the system to free up the clog.

You do want to give the water just a minute to get below boiling temperature before you pour it down the drain so you don't cause problems for your PVC pipes due to the extreme temperature.

Clearing Bathtub Drain Clogs

Some bathtubs are designed with a grate a couple of inches down in the drain of the tub. If hair has caused a clog, you can straighten a metal coat hanger and use pliers to make a small hook on one end. Then, you can stick the hook down past the grate and scoop out the hair.

Once you have freed the clog, you can implement preventative measures so this problem won’t happen again. For example, you can purchase a bathtub strainer that catches the hair and prevents the hair from going into the drain. You just empty the strainer into the trash and put the strainer back in place when you see hair in it.

Clearing a Stubborn Toilet Clog

When you have a clogged toilet, you can generally get the clog out with your plunger. For those more stubborn clogs, you can follow a helpful tip to loosen the clog up faster and more efficiently.

Take a bucket of hot water and pour the hot water into the toilet bowl slowly before plunging. Let the hot water set for a few minutes prior to using the plunger. The hot water helps break up the cause of the clog, such as excessive amounts of toilet paper.

Cleaning Your Aerators

Your faucets have aerators on the ends of them. Aerators are screens that help to control the flow of water. After time, calcium can build up on the aerators and cause them to slow the flow of water or to start squirting the water out in weird, uneven directions.

You can remove the aerators by twisting off the tip of the faucet and popping the aerator out. Put white vinegar in a bowl and drop the aerator into the vinegar to remove the calcium. You can also use a toothbrush to scrub the aerator. Once clean, put the aerator back in place and turn the water on. You should find the water comes out much better.

These plumbing solutions should be easy, and you can accomplish them with simple tools found around your home. But if you have more serious plumbing issues, your best bet is to contact the professionals. Call us at Moody Plumbing, Inc. today. We’re happy to help.